Exploding Youth! Through the Forest of Death!
by Talchum
Summary: How did Team Gai get through the Forest of Death? The manga didn't explain, so now we're left to speculate... Team Gai Friendship Fic...
1. A Need to Belong

**How in the world did the Teams get through the Chuunin Exams? Ok, we all know how Team 7, 8, and the Sand Team made it. But what's important is that we never got to see how Team Gai made it through. Well, here's a version on how they could have done it. There's some action and the usual introspective stuff. Neji and Rock Lee IC. Tenten is notorious for being one of the more 2 dimensional characters in the Narutoverse. I know she appears in quite a few fillers, but honestly I don't watch the fillers, so I don't have a clue on how they represent her. This is my idea of how she is, taking ideas and clues from the manga. This all takes place during the second exam, so if you're unfamiliar with the whole Chuunin Exams experience, you might be a little lost as to what's going on. Either way, I hope everyone enjoys and please take time to review. :)**

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"It's later and we're no further along than what we were before." Hyuuga Neji said. He stood with one arm on his waist, his white eyes shifting from one teammate to the other. It had been over an hour since they split up from the rookie genins, and Team Gai had regrouped at their original meeting place. 

Tenten nodded, a serious expression on her face. Rock Lee, for the beating he had took, had made a quick recovery. Compared to his teammates he looked worse for the wear, but his spirits remained high.

"What were you thinking, Lee?" Neji suddenly demanded.

The thick browed boy looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean getting in between those Sound nins and the rookies. You shouldn't have interfered. This isn't just a training exercise anymore. This is the real thing. And we've got a mission." Neji held out his hand. In it was the Earth Scroll they had been given at the start of the second test. "I don't think I need to remind you what we're here for."

"What are you saying, Neji?" Lee raised his voice, angrily. "That if you came upon those Sound Nins attacking the defenseless Sakura chan you would not have rescued her?"

"Hmph." Neji shrugged. "As I said, this is the real thing. Either you've got what it takes to make it through, or you don't. Not all the teams are going to make it to the end." Neji's eyes glinted. "And better they be eliminated than us having to compete with them later."

"You," Lee stood with his fists clenched, shaking in rage. "At the least you could feel some kind of loyalty to them for being Konoha Shinobis! But to leave them by the wayside, to possibly be slaughtered---"

"Of course I would rather see them defeat the Sound nins." Neji snapped. "But if they can't defeat that pitiful rag tag team of ninjas…" he paused, his eyes boring into Lee. "Then maybe they don't deserve to be called Shinobis." A silence fell on the three of them as Neji's words and implications sank into Lee.

"What are you saying?" Lee asked slowly, through gritted teeth. "Are you saying that because I could not defeat those Sound Nins---"

"Ok, guys, that's enough!" Tenten weighed in as sternly as she could. "All this arguing is getting us nowhere, and quickly. Let's forget about what just happened and move on with our plan."

The two boys glared at each other for a moment, before relenting, and turning away.

"The plan is the same as before." Neji stated matter of factly. "We split up and scout for others. We'll regroup here in thirty minutes." He glanced at Lee. "This time, no playing heroes. We need to get the Heaven scroll and head to the tower as soon as possible. Got it?"

"Hai!" Tenten and Lee nodded, determination in both their voices.

"Tenten," Neji turned and tossed the scroll to the girl who caught it with one hand. "You hold onto this. Between us three, you are the long distance fighter. Just in case, I don't want us to risk getting too close to an enemy and losing our scroll with the slip of a wrist."

Tenten nodded, tucking the scroll away into her pouch. "I'll go then," she leapt away, into the trees.

Lee and Neji stared at each other. "You got something to say?" Neji demanded.

"Just this," Lee began. "Remember that Gai Sensei says that as Shinobis one of our daily missions is to protect the helpless."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that if there was someone you promised to protect for life," Lee turned. "You would understand my position better." He leapt away.

Neji gritted his teeth. He stared at the ground, fighting back the rising anger. He turned and jumped away into the opposite direction, Lee's last words ringing in his mind.

…_Someone you promised to protect…_

* * *

Tenten jumped from tree to tree at a speed that most shinobis would have envied. She looked all around her, searching for any signs of enemy ninjas or the traps they may have laid. Even so, within her own head she was preoccupied. She cursed Lee and Neji for their bickering. It had taken time for the three of them to develop teamwork. The hold up was due, in large part, to the boys' rivalry that stemmed from their days at the Academy and had gotten worse once they became teammates. It took Gai's encouragement, and sometimes rough housing, to get them to start working for, rather than against, each other. And now, all their hard earned work on learning how to act as a team, was being thrown away by the stress of being in the Chuunin Exams. 

Tenten landed on a branch, scanning the ground, her thoughts still spinning. In truth she secretly envied them. From the beginning it had always been Lee and Neji. The Hyuuga drove his rival, forcing him to work harder, and in his own way Lee did the same thing with Neji, though the latter would never admit it. It was this focus on each other that made Tenten feel the slightest bit excluded. She reacted the only way she knew how. She felt by discouraging Lee maybe she could quell the petty rivalry the two felt for each other.

"Lee, why do you even bother?" she asked one day, after Neji had knocked Lee to the ground for the umpteenth time. "You know you can never beat him... because he's a genius."

Lee had reacted angrily that day, and ran away, but the following morning he was back, and sparring with his teammate all over again.

"I don't understand why he does that to himself, Sensei." Tenten said as she and the teacher stood off to the side watching the two boys throwing punches and kicks at each other. "Lee will never win against him."

Beside her, she heard Gai chuckling. Tenten turned in surprise. "Sensei, I'm not joking!"

"And I'm serious when I tell you this, Tenten: nothing is impossible. I can personally attest to that."

Away from them, Lee and Neji jumped off, taking their fight into the trees.

"But sensei---"

"People told me it was impossible to become a shinobi and to give up my dream." Gai pointed a thumb at himself. "But I proved them wrong, and Lee will do the same one day."

Tenten was quiet for a moment before saying "I don't understand why you encourage the feud between those two. Neji could kill Lee if he wanted to!"

"I see. You really don't understand." Gai took his student by her shoulders and turned her around so that she was facing him. "Listen to me. Neji and Lee have a bond that even I can't touch. No one knows their weaknesses and shortcomings better than they know each others. Of course they would never admit it, but I guarantee if one is in trouble it will be the other who comes to the rescue. That's the way those two work."

"Then why do you side with Lee in his want to beat Neji?" Tenten demanded.

Gai roared with laughter. "You still have a lot to learn, Tenten." He removed his hands from her shoulders and leaned forward. "If Neji wins against Lee, he wins and the other loses. Simple as that. If Lee wins against Neji then it the long run they both may end up victorious."

"Both of them? How?"

Gai raised a finger. "If Lee wins then he can be acknowledged as no longer being a loser. And then maybe Neji will come to realize that his hard philosophy on fatalism is not as true as he thinks it is."

Tenten looked down. "Oh…"

"I won't get into the details with you about Neji. But for all of Lee's shortcomings, in truth it's actually Neji that needs the most help. And I'm here to guide them both along."

"I see." Tenten did not raise her eyes as she quietly asked "And where do I fit into all of this… sensei?"

Tenten could still remember the surprised look her teacher had on his face. And she thought to herself that for once Gai did not have an answer.

It was the kunai that brought her out of her reminiscing. She sensed its approach before she actually saw it. She stopped in her tracks and ducked her head just as it flew passed and embedded itself in the tree she had just jumped off of.

Tenten looked in front of her. Three familiar ninjas stood on the tree before her, one branch higher. A hunchback, a girl, and a boy with both his arms wrapped in a sling.

_Those Sound Nin from earlier..._ Tenten realized.

"Oi, girl..." the boy with the immobile arms called.

Tenten reached into her pouch, feeling for shurikens.

"We've got a mission to complete." The hunchback said. "And to complete this mission it looks like we'll have to pass this stupid test. And you just might have something we need."

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**I also wanted to thank the readers who have reviewed my stories. Your reviews encourage me to write more (and hopefully) better. You guys are awesome!**


	2. At A Loss

**I was going to wait until next week to update this, but I decided to go ahead and do it today. I read this story over and over, looking for typos. But with me I notice the typos more _after _I post it (which is irritating). Anywho, I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I am _in practice_ when it comes to action scenes. They are not my forte, but I do try to do my best. It's rather short, but oh well...**

**Oh, I forget to add the Disclaimer:**

**I don't own Naruto, dattebayo!**

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Tenten gritted her teeth, her hand in her pouch fingering her shurikens. The three Sound Nin that stood before her looked like they had recovered from the earlier fight with Uchiha Sasuke, and had an even more menacing air around them. 

_Mission?_ Tenten wondered. _That's right! _She vaguely remembered the hunchback saying something about being sent to kill Sasuke. She glowered. She recalled that they gave up fairly easily, practically handing the Rookie Team the Earth scroll.

_Which means they're in need of another Earth scroll_, Tenten concluded. _Well they won't get mine!_

Tenten's hand came out of her pouch and threw six shurikens at the Sound Nin who all scattered in different directions. She scanned where each one went. _The girl.. to the right... the boy... to the left..._

Tenten heard rustling above her, and quickly she jumped out of the trees and onto the ground just as the hunchback boy landed on the branch that she had just been standing on.

"Pretty quick on your toes, eh?" the hunchback said.

Tenten pulled out a scroll. She flung it open, and tapped on a character. With a puff of smoke a heavy metal ball attached to a long chain appeared. The kunoichi grabbed it, throwing the scroll to one side.

The three Sound Nin jumped down to the ground, surrounding her but keeping their distance as she twirled the ball over her head.

"I remember her," Zaku said, standing in front of Tenten. "She's that thick browed freak's teammate."

"Well then she should be just as easy to take down!" Kin said. Tenten narrowed her eyes. Behind her she could hear the other kunoichi start off in a sprint.

"I don't think so!" Tenten yelled. She twirled around, sending the ball flying in the enemy girl's direction. Kin stopped, and quickly jumped out of the line of fire. Making a full turn, Tenten threw the ball at each of the sound nins, who all barely ducked away. She turned around twice this way, throwing and then retracting her weapon on the ground or into the trees, whatever direction the other ninjas went.

She stopped, eyeing her surrounding, still twirling the ball on her side.

"Damn, she's fast!" someone muttered. Tenten spun around and threw her weapon in the direction the voice came from. Zaku could not escape in time. She swung from the side, hitting him on his left leg as he was trying to leap. He screamed, falling on his face, writhing on the ground in pain.

"Bitch!" Zaku cursed.

The adrenaline was rushing to her head, heightening her senses. She twirled the ball over her head. Behind her, she heard the sound of bells ringing.

Tenten turned again, and whipped the chain around. The ball smashed into the senbons that were flying in her direction and then hit Kin, who was standing just beyond. The enemy kunoichi went flying against the tree behind her.

Kin gasped for air. "You're... too late... girl." Though the weapon had knocked the wind out of her and she was in obvious pain, the girl managed a smile. Tenten narrowed her eyes. She turned around and saw that one senbon had managed to get passed her and was embedded in a tree. Slowly the Sound Kunoichi picked herself up, and with one hand made a pulling gesture.

The bells rang again. Her head suddenly throbbed, and she groaned, grabbing at her hair. She looked up at Kin, who was breathing heavily and bent over, clutching at her stomach where the ball had hit her. In her hand, Tenten could now see was a fine string. The Sound Nin gave the string another yank. The bells rang and three Kins appeared, and then six.

_Genjutsu..._ Tenten realized, her head pounding. _Is it... that bell?_

Tenten growled, and gathering her strength she lifted her ball by the chain and flung it at who she thought was Kin. The ball flew straight through the Sound Nin, who laughed. "You don't know where to even look now, do you."

"You won't... defeat me..." Tenten retracted her arm again, picking another Kin target.

The next sound that she heard was unlike anything she had ever heard before. It was low, but booming, amplified as if coming through speakers. She dropped her arm, releasing the chain, and fell to her knees. A wave of nausea was flowing through her. Clutching at her stomach she fell forward. Her head felt like it was going to burst open, and the sudden dizziness made her almost lose her stomach contents. She laid her forehead against the grass, tightly shutting her eyes.

In the distance she heard voices.

"That should do it."

"I've never seen a kunoichi so fast." Tenten recognized the Zaku boy's voice. She could hear him slowly limping towards her. "She's almost as fast as her freak teammate."

"Yeah, not as easy to take down as those losers we took the Heaven scroll off of." Kin.

"It doesn't matter," an insidious third voice said. "Just check her and see if she's got what we need."

Tenten felt her pouch being picked off of her. She wanted to lunge out and scream or attack, but the world was spinning all around, making it impossible to stand. She could hear her belongings being dumped out on the ground.

"Great. Lots of scrolls. It's like a library." Kin grumbled, quietly. "Let's see... ahh HA! Looks like we picked the right person to go after."

Tenten tried to cry out, but no sound came. It was obvious which scroll The Sound Nins had chosen.

"Good. We still have time. Let's head out."

"But what about the girl?" Kin asked. The sound of an kunai being unsheathed. "I think we should end her."

There was a pause.

"No. Her and her team are worthless. We've got to get to the tower. And find out what exactly is going on about our mission." There was hesitation, but the other two reluctantly agreed.

Tenten felt the sharp point of the kunai pressed against her cheek. "I guess that's an even trade for your scroll." Kin gloated. "We'll be seeing you around."

And then the sound of the three jumping away.

She turned, laying on her side in the fetal position. The nausea was still coming in waves. She kept her eyes firmly closed, breathing slowly, waiting for the spinning to stop.

By the time it did she was laying on her back, staring at the leaves on the trees.

_If they can't defeat that pitiful rag tag team of ninjas... then maybe they don't deserve to be called Shinobi..._

The leaves reminded her of the trees in the Village. Tenten remembered the first day she became a Genin, sitting in the atrium with her new teammates. Though she recognized them from the Academy, she hardly knew them, but could tell by the way they interacted they were familiar with each other. She ignored the two and had turned her attention down to the streets and the trees. She had been excited that day. So excited it was hard to contain. It was beyond her comprehension why the boy with the white eyes seemed so sullen and the other boy seemed so rigid. So when their new teacher had asked them what their goals were, Tenten was more than happy to respond.

"I would like to become a strong ninja!" she had happily proclaimed. "Like the legendary female ninja Tsunade sama..."

When she had first heard that Gai Sensei was recommending the team for the Chuunin Exams she was as excited as she had been that day. This was her chance to prove to herself that she could be as strong as her hero. Tenten could feel the tears welling up, and slowly sliding down the sides of her face.

But now a crushing weight was bearing down on her.

"Neji...Lee..." She would have to tell them. If thirty minutes wasn't already up it was close. And she was going to have to return to them and tell them that she lost the thing that was needed to help them pass the Exams.

She layed still, for a long time, the humiliation of loss sinking in.

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**I want to give special thank you's.**

**A special thank you to Riah chan for being real bored one night and reading/reviewing all my Team Gai stories. ;)**

**And Mighty Mongoose, who from my first oneshot encouraged my take on Neji and Lee's friendship.**

**And another special thank you to everyone else who has expressed an interest in Neji/Lee's friendship. And I always thought I was alone with my interest in how their friendship goes! It's nice to know I'm in good company. :)**


	3. Expectations

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did I would have at least drawn Team 8 into the background!_

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Rock Lee folded his arms across his chest impatiently. Neji sat across from him. He held a kunai in his hand, swinging it nonchalantly like a pendulum. The sun was starting to set, and the breeze that was blowing had lost its warmth. 

"She is almost five minutes late." Lee finally said. He had been the first to arrive, with Neji following up behind him almost immediately. After what happened the last time the three of them had split up, Lee had no desire to wait for too long to see if their teammate was ok. "We should go looking for her."

Neji stood up, sheathing his kunai. He nodded. "You're right. We shouldn't underestimate what happens in this forest. She could have run into trouble." At that moment there was the sound of rustling leaves, and both boys turned around. Tenten was slowly walking towards them. Her head was lowered, and she had one arm braced against her stomach.

"Tenten, you are finally here!" Lee cried, happily, but his elevated mood quickly turned. He noted that her demeanor had changed from when they had first parted. She did not raise her head, or even acknowledge the boys, but simply continued her slow walk.

"Tenten," Neji said quietly when she reached them. He had a troubled looked on his face. "What happened?"

It didn't take Lee long to figure it out. Tenten's clothes were dirty, and her hair, although still in its buns, was disheveled. It was obvious just by looking at her that she had run into some kind of confrontation. "Are you ok, Tenten? Who did this to you?" Lee burst out angrily.

Tenten's shoulders were shaking now, but she still did not look up. In a barely audible voice Lee heard her say: "I'm so sorry, you guys...I... I... didn't mean to fail either of you." She paused. "The scroll..." Lee blinked, and Neji paled.

_The scroll!_ Lee had forgotten that Neji had given Tenten the Earth scroll at the last minute.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..." Tenten was saying over and over. Although she was not crying her voice was filled with a sobering pain. It was something that was out of character for the usual perky girl. In fact Lee could not ever remember seeing her in such a state. At that moment it suddenly hurt him to even look at her.

"Tenten, you have to stop and get a hold of yourself." Neji finally said. Had he been upset by the loss of the scroll or the kunoichi's demeanor, he hid it well. His composure, as usual, was even. Any hints of anger, disappointment or despair were absent. "We can't do anything as long as you are like this. Tell us exactly what happened and who took the scroll."

Tenten breathed in deeply, and raising her head, looked at her teammates for the first time. Her eyes were clear, though puffy, and she had a worn look on her face. Finally the story came spilling out. The more Lee listened, the more anger rose in his heart. The Sound Nins from earlier, the same ones that he had trouble defeating, had defeated his teammate and taken their scroll. He felt sorry for Tenten. He could easily relate to the shame and loss she felt.

But now was not the time for sympathy.

"Did you see which direction they went?" Lee asked, and Tenten shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. We know where they're headed." Neji said.

Lee looked at the Hyuuga. He had been angry with him since they had parted ways earlier. He had still been angry when they returned. But any resentment he had felt toward his rival had melted away. No matter what their feelings, they were in the same boat.

"It's too bad you weren't with me, Lee." Tenten said suddenly, bitterly. "Maybe if you were with me this wouldn't have happened. You could have protected me the way you protected Sakura chan."

"What?" Lee's eyes widened, a surprised look on his face. He opened his mouth and then closed it. "Tenten..." he stopped, searching for the right words. Finally, he said: "Tenten, Neji is right. You need to get a hold of yourself. Believe me, no one knows the painful feeling of defeat better than I do. But have you not been listening to anything Gai sensei has taught us? You never let that defeat stop you." Lee glanced over at Neji, who stood expressionless with his arms folded across his chest. "You worker harder until you have conquered that defeat. And besides," Lee smiled, his white teeth gleaming. "To me, you were never one who needed protecting."

Tenten looked up startled, her eyes wide. Lee was unsure whether his words made a difference to her. Her face was just that of surprise. "Lee... I..."

"But enough of that. I have been wanting a piece of those guys for a while now." Lee sa_id. There is no time for regrets. It is time to move forward._

"Yeah," Neji agreed.

"But they're a good fifteen minutes ahead of us." Tenten noted quietly.

Neji smirked and Lee grinned, clenching his fists. "Fifteen minutes? Is that all? Not much of a challenge, but one nonetheless."

"But, Lee..." Tenten began.

"I assume it's easy to start doubting yourself after a loss," Neji interrupted. "But we don't have the time for that. If we're going to get the scroll back we need you to contain whatever doubt you may be feeling. You're either with us or against us." His words were cutting. It was unusual for Neji to talk to Tenten in such a manner. Lee could see that the girl was taken aback, surprise and hurt written on her face.

"If only Gai sensei were here!" Lee suddenly bellowed out, trying to rid heavy mood. "We would make him so proud with what we are about to do!"

Neji nodded. "Now, Lee, is the time for speed." He looked at his rival. "Are you ready?"

"Hai!"

"Tenten?" Both boys turned to their partner, a grim look on their faces. In truth, this was the first time that Lee could remember Tenten faltering. Of all people, he never expected defeat to happen to her. But still, he and Neji held her to a level of expectation. And both their eyes showed that they expected her to uphold her end.

She nodded slowly, though her face still held uncertainty. "H-Hai."

"Those guys are going to pay for what they've done." Neji said quietly, clenching his fist.

"Let's go!" All three jumped away.

* * *

_I threw in the comment that Tenten made about wishing Lee was there to protect her because I think that Tenten has a little crush on him (from the little that is shown in the manga). I think she was slightly jealous about the whole Lee protecting Sakura thing from her reaction when she and Neji finally met back up with Lee. _

_Also, I really try to keep them in character. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't expect anymore of a reaction from Neji about his teammate's beating. Now when they actually meet up with the Sound Nin... that may be a different story... ;)_

_Hell hath no fury like Neji scorned... _

_This was written and edited quickly, so forgive me for any typos. _

_Please review, I appreciate them!_


	4. Familiar Faces

They returned to where Tenten first encountered the Sound Nin, and then headed in the direction of the tower. Neji stayed in the lead, with Tenten and Lee on either side of him. With his Byakugan activated he scanned the area, barely turning his head, searching the ground and trees all around for any signs of the Sound Nin. His eyes picked up several other teams, but the Sound seemed to elude him.

Neji's legs and lungs were burning slightly, but he felt he still had enough stamina to last for quite a while longer. Secretly he was grateful to his teacher for emphasizing the need for speed on his three students. In between missions Gai would call for all three of them to train together. But his idea of training usually included having them run long miles, sometimes all day long.

"Our specialty is taijutsu!" Gai had said during one of their first training sessions. "All three of you are young and in your springtime of youth!"

That particular day they had been running through the trees all morning long, and Gai showed no signs of easing up. "Now is the time to work on your speed! You must be faster, and more efficient than your enemy!" That was also the day that Lee had first put the weights on, and even with the added baggage he was able to follow closely behind their teacher.

"As my students I have faith in you..." Neji remembered clearly how his lungs and heart felt like they were going to explode, but he pushed himself, forcing his body to keep up with Lee. He ran by his rival with an even rate of speed, determined not to fall back. Just a little ways behind them was Tenten, who was showing a little more wear, breathing heavily. But any complaints she had she kept to herself, running along in quiet pain.

"That you three will turn out to be the fastest shinobi the Hidden Leaves has ever seen!"

From the distance Neji suddenly saw the familiar features of the Sound Nin that he had seen with the Rookie teams. "There they are!" Neji said. He turned to his right, jumping through the trees, his teammates following. "This way! I need to get closer. I can barely seen them, they are almost exactly 50 meters away." He closed in on them, his vision coming in clear. _Yes, it's defiantly them._ Neji stopped on one branch, and Lee and Tenten followed suit.

The Sound Nin were jumping through the trees, rather slow. It made sense, of course. With Zaku and Kin recovering from Tenten's blows and Dosu naturally slower, even a team that didn't have much speed would have been able to catch up.

"Should we attack them now?" Tenten asked.

"The fact that they use sound is a handicap to us." Lee said.

"Let's head them off." Neji said, and the other two nodded. They took off, easily surpassing the Sound Team, heading in the direction of the tower. They lengthened the distance between the Sound Nin, and ran towards them until they were directly in front.

"It's better if we get out of the trees and hide on the ground." Neji stated, and the other two agreed. He looked down, a bush catching his eyes. He frowned. In the bushes he could see three familiar crouching figures.

Narrowing his eyes he said: "Let's go." and silently jumped down from the trees and onto the ground, directly behind the bush.

"Why is it wherever I go, you three are somewhere near by?" Neji asked flatly as he crouched down, deactivating his Byakugan.

The three who had their backs to him jumped, obviously taken by surprise.

Slowly the blonde kunoichi and her companions turned their heads. "Neji sama!" Ino cried. Her face turned red, and all three spun around completely, nervous and sweating.

Behind Neji, Tenten and Lee landed in a crouching position.

"Oh wow, a senior team!" Shikamaru cried, feigning excitement.

"I bet you guys have your scroll and on your way to the tower." Chouji said loudly.

Ino laughed nervously. "So you won't be needing a scroll from us."

"Didn't I tell you dropouts before it would be an embarrassment to take anything from you?" Neji demanded.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lee asked.

"Have you got both scrolls?" Tenten asked, a tinge of jealousy in her voice. Team Asuma laughed nervously.

Neji snickered. "More likely they're waiting on a weaker team to pass through so they can steal their scroll off of them." All three of them stopped their nervous twitching and looked away, embarrassed. Neji glowered. _Just as I thought._

"No, we don't have both scrolls." Shikamaru spoke nervously. His eyes were shifting in every direction.

Neji frowned. Over the years he had grown keen at reading body gestures and facial expressions, and was highly aware of them. Team Asuma's nervous twitching and shifting eyes annoyed him.

He sighed. _Are these the kind of shinobi the Academy is letting get through these days?_

"We were waiting for the next unlucky team to pass through and then..." Shikamaru threw a weak awkward punch in the air. "We'd attack."

"A fine plan indeed!" Lee exclaimed, excitedly. "As long as you have the fire of youth within you it is impossible to fail."

Tenten nodded. "We hope to see you at the tower." but her voice lacked the reassurance she was trying to convey.

"You're in our way." Neji said.

Team Asuma looked blankly at Team Gai. "Well, far be it from us to get in the way!" Ino said.

"We've got business to take care of." Neji continued.

"We'd hate to interrupt that." Chouji cried.

"Get lost."

"HAI!" all three of them happily exclaimed, and burst away with a speed that surprised Team Gai.

There was a moment of quiet. "That is the strangest team." Tenten finally noted.

Neji shrugged. "Cowards." he reactivated his Byakugan, looking up. He could see that the Sound Team was closer, and slowly approaching. "The Uchiha broke that kid's arms, so we won't have to worry about him using an jutsus." he narrowed his eyes. "But the girl and the other guy's jutsus are both sound based."

"We would have to use something to block our hearing." Lee stated.

Neji shook his head. "As a shinobi it's never a wise idea to completely block one of your senses, even if it's being used against you."

"That one they called Dosu... he has that speaker on his arm to amplify the sound." Lee said, thinking aloud.

"We'll have to stop him before he has a chance to use it." Neji smirked. "Easy enough. I'll take care of him." Neji activated his Byakugan. The sun was almost completey set, and the darkness was starting to settle. The last rays of the light was not strong enough to penetrate the trees, but just enough to cast a dim grayness throughout the forest. But even with the lack of light he could see that the Sound was almost upon them.

"And I will take care of the Zaku kid." Lee said.

Neji looked at Tenten. He knew that the Sound Nin was now close enough to see even without the Bloodline activated. He followed her line of vision to see that she was, indeed, watching their approach.

"Tenten..." The girl's face showed that she was lost in thought.

Neji closed his eyes. "Tell us where you stand." He could hear Lee suck in his breath. Neji remained quiet. In truth he had wanted to say more to her, to persuade her to be the person he was use to seeing.

"I..." Tenten's voice wavered.

But he had resigned not to. After all, no matter what he said, it all made little difference. Fate would decide the girl's course of action, no matter what words of encouragement he had to offer. They could do it without her, if needs be. He and Lee could take them, on their own.

_Tenten... _

But somehow, the victory wouldn't be the same...

"I'll get them out of the trees." Tenten said quietly. "And take the girl."

Neji opened his eyes, the smirk on his face. He looked over at Lee who was clenching his fist, shaking in excitement, the adrenaline obviously rushing to his brain.

_Arigato, Tenten..._

"Then lets do it."

* * *

Tenten leapt into the trees until she was at a greater height than the Sound Nin. She looked down at the approaching team. In her hand was a kunai with a tag tied to it. 

For a moment there, she had thought about leaving. Staring at the Sound Nin's approach, and remembering her defeat, she had wanted to give up and to walk away. The moment was fleeting. She quickly decided not to, for Neji and Lee's sake. She couldn't do that to them. But still, the feeling of loss and uncertainty tugged at her heart.

She wasn't quite sure why his face had popped into her head at that moment. That look of surprise on his face, when she had asked where she fit into the scheme of things. It had disappointed her to see the look on her sensei's face, to realize that he was at a loss for words.

Tenten pulled her right arm over her left shoulder, counting the distance between her and the enemy team. She swung it around, releasing the kunai that flew straight into a tree that the Sound Nin were a few beats behind. The ninjas started, and realizing what it was, fell to the ground. The tag quickly dissolved, and a penetrating boom accompanied by a bright flash and smoke filled the forest.

As Tenten jumped down to the ground she could hear Gai's voice. The question that had followed, that had left her with a look of surprise.

"_Are you telling me, Tenten... you really don't know?" _

* * *

_I had to throw Team Asuma in there, if only for a moment... because they seemed to pop up wherever Neji was. _

_Poor long suffering Neji... :p_


End file.
